Zimbabwe

Name: Lasten Mika
Age: 38 years
Area/district/state: Harare, Zimbabwe
Occupation: Energy and Environment Projects Manager

Hello, I am Lasten Mika.

You may have heard a lot about Zimbabwe in the media in recent years, yet an often unreported side of life here is the changes that are taking place in our climate.

Did you know that in the last twenty years, we have been hit with the extremes of weather? And that since 1987, my country has experienced the six warmest years on record?

We have had to deal with ten droughts during this time, leaving us with less freshwater and destroyed biodiversity. Our agricultural zones have now also shifted. Yet while some communities have struggled to cope with a dry and sparse landscape, others have faced the exact opposite as devastating floods persistently hit the lower Guruve.

These events have revealed just how vulnerable parts of Zimbabwe are to weather events and the high price we have to pay.

Let me explain: Any changes to the climate exacerbate Zimbabwe’s problems with poverty. When the impacts of climate change hit those living in poverty, it starts a dangerous cycle. Disasters can strip people of their basic needs for survival and all changes in climate can undermine any progress we make in reducing poverty.Many people rely on the climate to provide the conditions for water and food supply, essential factors for maintaining health and creating opportunities for economic growth.

Yet these are now at risk; climate predictions for our country show that the situation is likely to continue and even get worse.

The UN Development Programme believe that agricultural production - the main livelihood source for nearly three-quarters of the population - could decrease by up to 30 percent this century, with our growing season shortening by up to 35 days.

For people already balancing precariously on the poverty line this means a decrease in maize, the country’s staple food, along with a loss in livestock production as it becomes difficult to find areas for grazing. Water is likely to become a problem in two respects; with fewer rain days there will be greater stress on our supplies as the water table lowers, but when the rains do occur they will continue to happen with greater intensity, increasing the risk of floods and other natural disasters.

Zimbabwe must prepare for what threatens to one of the most serious food security challenges of the 21st century. Practical Action is working with groups of farmers living in Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable regions to protect water and food supplies.

Together we have taken urgent steps to save the water catchment areas in Matabeleland, Masvingo and Mashonaland through reforestation and promoting proper land use.

We are also working with farmers to enhance their agricultural practices in ways that conserve the local ecosystems, are relevant to their needs, and allow them to be flexible to changes in the future. Typical techniques include; minimum soil movement, maintaining surface cover with crop residues or live plants, and crop rotation.

The starting point for protecting ecosystems is the farmers’ local knowledge. In order to deal with the new challenges of climate change, this needs to be combined with emerging agricultural innovations.

The ‘Learning Centre’ developed by Practical Action is a place for this, creating an interactive forum for raising awareness, and promoting techniques that help adaptation at the farm-level.

The learning centre helps share information about good techniques widely, yet it would struggle to reach all farmers. And, as I mentioned earlier, the impacts of climate change go wider than the farming sector, threatening most people living in vulnerable areas; we now need investment to support and scale up adaptation projects that include strengthening of early warning systems, disaster preparedness, water harvesting and many others.

The people of Zimbabwe need a climate deal to be agreed in Copenhagen - a deal which can limit the effects of climate change we will experience, while providing support for Zimbabwe to implement its adaptation plans.

Despite all the other issues Zimbabwe has faced, this country was among the first to show its commitment to addressing climate change by ratifying the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Now the industrialised countries have the chance to correct climate injustice. Are the leaders of these countries prepared to take seriously the concerns of people in developing countries and tackle climate change? Zimbabwe has many challenges for the future, but climate change should not be one that we are unprepared for.

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